Atlantis - DNF

Ch. 3 - Freckles and Curls

George

The nervousness was beginning to eat at him. His hands were fumbling against the keys on his keyboard and he was certain that if he kept this up, he'd have no fingernails left from chewing at them. He knew that he needed to do this; he wanted to do this, so why was he so god damn nervous? The reality of finally doing the thing that they had planned so long ago was setting in slowly and the dream of finally living with his best friends was a lot more scary than it was appealing.

He knew nothing about America. He had everything in Florida. Some of his friends, his parents, Alana—this wasn't going to be an easy transition, but he also knew that it was what he wanted deep down. As much as he loved London, his heart belonged to those in Florida. George sighed, relaxed his shoulders, and slowly moved his mouse up to click the call button for the Dream Team group chat.

Almost at once, Sapnap answered and he could tell just by the way he answered he wasn't necessarily in the greatest of moods. Hopefully this would change that. A few seconds later, Dream joined as well. He seemed oddly normal in comparison to a few hours ago. 

"I thought you were hanging with Alana today, George." Sapnap was the first to speak, forcing George to gulp. 'You can do this, George. Stop being such a pussy.' 

"She's in the other room. I uh- well, I need to tell you guys something." More silence filled the call and he realized that both of his friends were wanting him to go on. "My Visa got approved. I was going to tell you sooner, but I had things to sort out with my girlfriend." 



Dream

"My Visa got approved. I was going to tell you sooner, but I had things to sort out with my girlfriend." Excitement, pain,  and everything in between ran through Dreams' body, but he couldn't help the large, shit-eating grin that spread across his face. Yes, the word 'girlfriend' really did sting, but this was literally the moment he had been waiting for, for years. He'd get to meet George. 

"HELL YEAH!" Sapnap screamed, throwing his fists into the air. "Dude, that's fucking amazing, holy shit. Dream Team Christmas!" The mood shifted in the call into a much lighter note thanks to Sapnap and his overwhelmingly happy personality. It was definitely a lot easier to fall into the moment, but still he hadn't bothered to say much at all. Instead, he was just staring at the screen with the same, stupid smile on his face. Perhaps he was beginning to go insane. Hell if he knew. He just knew that the emotions he felt right now were so incredibly conflicted. 

"Dream... You haven't commented on it yet." Georges' voice felt small and almost fragile which caught him off guard. He shook his head. He figured that the other man was waiting on his response. After all, it was one of the things that they always talked about. 

"I'm just happy." He finally said, hardly trusting his voice in the moment. "So what'll it be then, Georgie - you want to wait until we're in person to see my face for the first time or do you want to facetime me?" Showing his face to the world wasn't really something he was worried about anymore. When he had just started out, despite it never being intentional to not show his face, his insecurities sort of bested him and he began to stress on it. Now he was much past it and yet, showing George his face was something he worried about. If he didn't like what he saw, he'd probably lose it. 

"I should probably facetime you." George said and the nervousness in his voice was heavy. It made Dream feel even worse. It was evident that this was a big step for both of them. "Do you want to do that now or... after we plan the move?" 

"I can leave to give the two of you space." Sapnap cleared his throat, clearly feeling the tension that was beginning to fill this call. "When you're done, we can discuss the move together." Dream heard the smile in his friends voice. It meant as much to Sapnap as it did to him. "I can't wait for us to live together, George." And with that, the other left the calling, leaving the two of them in silence. 

Dream was staring at the camera button on his computer, contemplating whether or not he should click the on button, but right as his hand moved to touch his mouse, George left the call and his phone rang. George was calling him and he felt the weight of the earth fall on his shoulders right in the moment. He hesitated, then slowly exited their Discord call and grabbed his phone. It was now or never.

 

George

Facetiming Dream was something that he had dreamed of doing for quite sometime and although his anxiety was getting the best of him, he was beyond excited to finally put a face to the voice that he had heard all of these years. When the call was finally picked up by his friend, there was just a ceiling. George frowned a little, but felt his heart race the second he saw the phone being raised. 

A pale, freckled face stared at him with an awkward smile upon his face. George could feel the pounding in his chest; he could feel the way his heart squeezed and his breath was lost. Dream was probably the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Curly, dusty blond hair, green eyes (although George couldn't see the color), and a grin that could kill. Sapnap was definitely lucky that he got to see that everyday. 

George immediately snapped out of those thoughts, internally scolding himself for even thinking that way. He had a girlfriend. He was not gay. Dream was his best friend. Simple. 

"So, am I as ugly as you imagined?" Dream asked sheepishly, breaking the awkward silence that had consumed them. He couldn't help but crack a little smile and nod his head. 

"Yep, just as ugly as I expected." The joke was light and he could tell by the way Dreams' smile widened that he hadn't taken him seriously. It was definitely surreal to see him now. He couldn't quite put a finger on why this moment felt as magical as it did, but all of his concerns, worries, and doubts flooded away. They would be back later, but for now he seemed content. 

---

"It's so fucking weird seeing your facial expressions when you talk." About two hours had passed since he had facetimed Dream. They had passed so easily and so smoothly that neither of them really realized it. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the two of them were finally spending genuine time together again. George felt as though he was soaring through the clouds as each second past by. 

"It's not that weird. It's just a face." Dream replied, laughing a little. Oh, what George wouldn't give to record that laugh in his mind forever. It was definitely an intrusive thought he wasn't comfortable with, but it was one that slipped into his mind each time his friend laughed. He hated how it made him feel. He hated how each and every time his heart skipped a beat because of Dream, his head would go to Alana and how it would make her feel. It ate him up inside and for reasons he just didn't understand.

George had been a mess for what seemed like forever when it came to his friend, but when Alana walked into his life, things got easier. She made him feel normal and understood him in ways that not even Dream understood him. Even still, as much as he loved her, he couldn't help but feel as if something was lacking. It was those very thoughts that plagued his mind each time he tried to sleep. He was a terrible person and he knew that. He just wished he knew the true reasoning behind everything. 

"Says you. If you had to wait years to see my face while simultaneously being bugged by Sapnap, you'd think otherwise." George rolled his eyes, but they immediately darted towards the door when Alana stuck her head in. Fuck. He had forgotten she was even there. The petite redhead smiled sweetly at him, although he could see it in her eyes. It wasn't the first time he had seen it either. It made his heart ache. "Give me a second, Dream." Slowly he sat the phone down and approached her, engulfing her into a hug. 


Dream

Dream felt the smile slowly fall from his face the second George had sat the phone down. These last few hours had felt like a daydream to him. They had so easily slipped back into old habits that he hardly remembered the hurt that he was experiencing. He knew the second he was given time to think that getting over George wasn't going to be easy. In fact, he wasn't even sure he'd ever be able to get over him. It was just a fact that he would have to accept. He was helplessly in love with someone that was completely out of reach. It was pathetic and he hated himself for it, but he knew that for the sake of his friendship and the sake of the trio, he would bury it. He had to. 

"I'm so sorry, Alana." Dream frowned a little as voices filled the call. He felt his heart drop, but he couldn't focus his attention anywhere else. "Dream finally showed me his face after I told them about the Visa and I lost track of time." 

"No, no. It's completely okay, George. This is an important moment for you and I would never be mad at you for that, but I do think I should head home." It was quiet for a moment before Dream heard anything else, but something in his heart told him to call out instead. 

"She can come see and say hello, if you'd like George." He felt hollowness as he said this. He hoped that his friend could hear him. Nothing happened for a moment, then a second later he heard shuffling and saw the phone rise to Georges' face. The man wore a small smile on his face and slowly he moved his phone over to a beautiful redheaded girl. This was the first time that Dream had actually seen Alana and he could definitely see the appeal to her. Bright, vibrant blue eyes, curly red hair that flowed almost perfectly down her head. She was breathtaking, even Dream had to admit that. When she smiled, her nose scrunched up a little, making her look a lot cuter than she already was. There were mixed emotions filling Dreams' head, but he smiled right back at her. 

"So this is the infamous Dream, huh?" She said, giggling a little as George pointed the camera more towards her so she could get a better look at him. "You're definitely handsome. No wonder you hid it from the world." He heard George laugh a little and Dream could see her cheeks turn a faint shade of pink. 'His laugh does make everyone blush, doesn't it?' Dream wiped that thought from his head and instead laughed in response. 

"I don't know about all of that, but thank you. It's nice to finally meet you face to face... Well, screen to screen. You get the point." Alana shook her head with a smile. 

"It's nice to meet you too. I hear nothing but great things about you from George. He hardly shuts up about you and Sapnap." 

"That is not true." George poked his head into view, his own pale cheeks dusted pink. 

"Oh, I'm sure George never shuts up in general." 

"He definitely doesn't. Just nonstop talking." Laughter filled the room as both Dream and Alana cackled at Georges' expense. He on the other hand pouted, but he felt light in the moment. His best friend and girlfriend were getting along wonderfully. That was truly all he could ask for. 

"What is this, bully George hour? Give me the phone back, woman!" He grabbed for the phone, but she held it away from him with a small giggle. 

"Nope! I'm stealing your best friend away from you. Nothing you can do to stop me." 

"Oh yeah? I can always tickle you to get it." Dream heard a small gasp come from the female, but all he could see the wall that the phone was being pointed at from her holding the phone away from George. 

"You would never!" Silence. "GEORGE DAVIDSON DO NOT TAKE ANOTHER STEP CLOSER." Alana screeched with laughter and the phone fell onto the bed. For a few moments, all Dream could really hear was laughing from the other end from both of them and then finally the phone was picked up again. This time it was Georges' face that appeared. His hair was ruffled in all sorts of places and his cheeks were multiple shades darker. 

"Sorry about that." He said sheepishly, glancing out of the corner of his eye which Dream could assume at Alana. 

"It's cool." Dream replied, leaning back in his chair. There were millions of thoughts running through his head at the moment. Unfortunately he just couldn't focus on one of them. His emotions were running wild, but still he smiled at George. 

"She just left, so we can talk longer." George plopped down on the bed and stared into the camera. Dream was quiet for the most part, really just trying to figure out the correct words to say in that moment. He felt sick to his stomach, but at the same time he felt okay. "Are you okay?" George asked, causing Dream to instinctively nod his head. Lying about how he felt had become so easy to him. This time though, he knew that George couldn't tell whether or not it was a lie. He wore a smile that shone bright. 

"She makes you happy, doesn't she?" 

There was silence, but he didn't missed the faintest of smiles that appeared and then disappeared on Georges' face. 

"Yeah, she really does." 

----

A/N: So I went back through and made it a bit more obvious on who's POV we were reading. It's still technically third person, but it alternates back and forth between like who the main person is if that makes sense. 

Anyway, hope you enjoy!